Description

ASSOCIATION FOR ASIAN STUDIES   Ann Arbor, MI   Purpose of grant: For a COVID-19 urgent needs grant.   Amount recommended: A one-year grant of $150,000.   Summary: The Association for Asian Studies (AAS), the primary scholarly association in the United States for the Asian studies field, received a direct hit from COVID-19 because of the timing of its annual conference, which was scheduled for Boston in March. Conference cancellation resulted in significant lost revenue, and additional losses are anticipated due to the broader financial impact of the virus on its members and academic institutions.     This turn of events is hampering AAS’s ability to serve its 6,500 members and the broader public at a time when there is urgent need for responses to the pandemic and its particular associations with Asia and Asians. Proposed responses include the creation and delivery of relevant content ranging from the practical (how to teach Asia-related topics online) and substantive (specific resources and curriculum with direct and indirect relation to COVID-19) to the societal and political (documenting and countering anti-Asian racism and hate crimes).   AAS requests an urgent needs grant to undertake initiatives it could not otherwise pursue effectively without external support. Grant funds would strengthen AAS staff capacity to offer programming in the online space and to collaborate with its members on the production and dissemination of digital content, including publications addressing topics relevant to Asia and COVID-19. A portion of the grant would provide matching support for a campaign in which AAS members will be encouraged to sponsor the membership fee for students, contingent faculty and others who, in the wake of novel coronavirus, would be unable to afford it. An additional sum would help to upgrade the Association’s server capacity and webinar capabilities for increased virtual activity.   Pauline Yu is a member of the AAS Finance Committee.   Recommendation: That the Directors of the Henry Luce Foundation approve a one-year grant of $150,000 to the Association for Asian Studies for a COVID-19 urgent needs grant.     https://www.asianstudies.org/